


A Stohess and Tuesdays

by saccharineflower (orphan_account)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Multi, Pining, countryside
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-18 00:07:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19965469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/saccharineflower
Summary: Amidst summer and star gazing, turntable dancing and Shakespeare talks, sunflowers and glasses; Jongin pines.





	A Stohess and Tuesdays

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Self-Prompt #Pure  
> Warnings:  
> Author’s note: First of all, this is my first time joining a fic fest and I was a noob. I really don't know what to tell the mods! Not knowing what to do and asking the mods a lot of questions but I'm so thankful that they're all understanding.  
> I wrote this fic in a week, so I myself can say that it's a bit rushed? But I feel fine with this one, all thanks to the countryside and 60's music that pushed me to finish this fic sooner than I expected.  
> Truth to be told, I don't like reading my stuff because the more I find errors, the more I feel like deleting a fic. So really, thanks to the mod who offered to beta my fic. You are a savior! Thank you so much!!!! Hope this fic of mine will atleast make you smile. Every comment and constructive ones are very much appreciated!!

  
Tuesday mornings have always been warmer. It may be because it's the second day of the week, although Kyungsoo will argue that Sunday is the first day of the week, but Jongin has always been in love with Tuesdays.

Jongin himself knows that the sequence of days never really affect the weather, Their teacher said so. But even then, he likes to stick to his beliefs.

Even the bickering outside won't change his view of Tuesdays.

He opens the front door of their house a little calmer than usual and inhales the warm air, eyes closed and ears ignoring the curses that threaten to ruin his Tuesday.

"It's not my fault that I'm so attractive-"

"I hate you! I don't need your globose!"

Jongin looks to his right, eyes squinting at the view. Chanyeol is frowning and holding onto a piece of round orange fruit to his chest while Baekhyun closes the front door a little too harshly. It makes Chanyeol cower.

He shakes his head. Yet another small altercation between the two; it’s not something unusual to ruin his Tuesday morning.

As if his home being sandwiched by the Byuns and Parks is not enough.

"It's for you!" Chanyeol proceeds to yell loudly., before a small pot of plant falls from the second floor of the Byun's household, presumably thrown by an angry Baekhyun.

Jongin watches the Park lad withdraw with pity, the taller's shoulders sagging down.

He sighs and looks up at the sky. It’s a perfect shade of yellow and baby blue.

He walks towards his front gate just as Chanyeol was about to pass by. The taller lad looks at him briefly with a sigh, and Jongin offers him a kind smile hoping it doesn’t come off as offensive. Thankfully, Chanyeol smiles back at him.

The taller then stops in his tracks exactly in front of the gate, immediately making Jongin frown.

"You're blocking me." He says with a sigh.

"Sorry," Chanyeol offers him a shy smile while rubbing a palm at the back of his neck. "Are you going to visit Dorothy now?" The taller asks.

Jongin nods and deems his day might not end up fine when Chanyeol beams and asks if he can tag along because it has been two days since he last saw the famous cat of their hamlet.

Jongin starts to walk with Chanyeol at his side throwing the orange globose into the air from time to time.

"Did you break up with Baekhyun again?"

He looks at Chanyeol and sees the taller shrugging, the corner of his lips slopping downwards in a frown.

"He's always like that. He got mad that Sehun talked to me. I mean… Sehun is our friend! How did he get mad at that?" Chanyeol whines.

"Maybe because you said Sehun was cute when he wore denim jumpers last week," Jongin comments.

Chanyeol frowns a little and then shrugs again.

"I'm used to it. He's always like that," he informs and Jongin doesn't push the subject more. If Chanyeol thinks it's okay then it is.

The sloped street of their hamlet comes into view and they see Sehun tending to the flowerpots just outside their flower shop. The younger sees them even before they call out to him, and he waves at them while hopping on the spot, water still running from the hose.

Chanyeol approaches him first and Jongin quickly follows, snickering when he sees the taller peeling the rind off from the citrus fruit.

**_Guess by now you know that I'm devoted to you~_ **

Chanyeol hums along to the song playing through the humid street, Mr. Kang probably blasting his new stereo bought by his son working overseas again, a piece of orange in between his lips.

" _I'll be unhappy if you are blue~_ " Chanyeol proceeds to sing and mock touches Sehun's jaw, the younger wiggling out of the taller one's touch.

"That's why Baekhyun keeps dumping you," Jongin scoffs and kicks out at a soil rock near his welt shoe.

"He's always like that. You should know by now," Chanyeol replies with a wriggle of an eyebrow. Jongin huffs a little and looks away, eyes darting to the closed glassware and optical shop belonging to the Oh's.

"Where are your parents?" Jongin asks out of blue, eyes wandering to the inside of the place. It's all wooden, glass cabinets of eyewear side-by-side and different sizes of crystal vases a few feet away. He sees the mirrors displayed on the wall in wooden frames and remembers Joohyun crying over a vanity set that Sehun's father had made for her.

Sehun had begged his father to give the set to the pretty girl, but until now, Joohyun has yet to accept his declaration of love.

"They're visiting my grandparents at the neighbouring village. They must be at the whistle-top by now," Sehun informs and walks to turn off the faucet, grimacing at the sweat gathering on his hairline.

"Lies," Chanyeol says while chewing onto a piece of orange.

"Do you think we'll close the shop just for the fun of resting? No," Sehun deadpans and takes a small shovel and rinses it using the muddy water on a steel barrel.

Chanyeol spits out the seeds of the citrus and grimaces at the tangerine taste.

"I mean they go there to take your grandma's sunflowers. Visit, my ass," Chanyeol clarifies, mumbling the last words.

Sehun doesn’t even try to defend his parents because it’s true his parents always visit his grandparents every Sunday. They just visited not even two days ago.

He then notices Jongin staring at the inside the shop through the glass window, eyes squinting to see better.

"The round specs will suit you."

Jongin flinches at his sudden words, frowning at Sehun who's now picking up the seeds Chanyeol spat out and washing them while mumbling about how the seeds will be useful for planting.

"I don't need one," he replies, eyes now looking up to see the dirty white plaque attached at the roof of the wooden shop swinging.

According to Chanyeol, the red paint is peeling off although Jongin can't really notice it yet. His vision is not the way it was, blurry now even with how much he tries to rub his eyes with his fist, they only make his vision blurry.

"You're squinting," Chanyeol notes.

He sends a glare at the taller as _The Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody_ starts playing from Mr. Kang's stereos.

It's a blessing, in Jongin's opinion, because it's not like every house at their bourg has such luxury to buy a music machine that plays louder than turntables. Though he prefers the latter.

He's about to retort with a snarky comeback, but then his blurry eyes spot a figure rolling down the slope of the street, the harsh light of the sun made the running shadow of the bicycle more prominent.

" _Oh, my love! My darling!_ " Kyungsoo sing-screams at the top of his lungs as the bicycle rolls down the street slope; it was a warning to them to move away or else they'll get hit.

Sehun and Chanyeol take a few steps back, but Jongin doesn’t and abruptly stops the bicycle from hitting him by holding onto the basket attached at the front with Kyungsoo halting it by planting his sneakers on the hot ground.

"Oh my god," Kyungsoo mutters, out of breath and cheeks reddening. It makes his blotches of freckles more visible. "That was close."

"You always do that!" Chanyeol scolds with a frown. "You'll die!"

Kyungsoo snorts and gets off, right sleeve of his yellow shirt bunching up. Jongin watches as Kyungsoo arranges his denim jumper, the shorter still heaving with a smile gracing his lips.

"But I never die," Kyungsoo retorts with a shrug. The shorter then looks at Jongin, giving him a once over and snorting again. Kyungsoo rearranges his eyeglasses, looking unamused.

Jongin frowns.

"What?" He deadpans.

"I thought we're going to the mart?" The shorter asks with a huff. Jongin looks down to inspect his own clothes, but he sees nothing wrong.

"Yes?" He replies when he looks back at Kyungsoo again.

"You're wearing a black branded shirt, Jongin." Kyungsoo deadpans.

Jongin doesn't know what's the problem with that.

"So?" He asks, still confused.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, crosses his arms over his chest and taps his left sneaker on the ground.

"You're supposed to wear a plain yellow shirt."

Chanyeol snorts at the side but gets hit by Sehun who's stifling a laugh.

Jongin frowns. And then it registers in his brain.

"Oh," he muses. " _Oh_."

Kyungsoo kicks his bicycle softly, commanding Jongin to take his usual spot at the back.

"We need you to change. Or else we won't get any free fruits." Kyungsoo says, huffing as he climbs onto the leather seat of the bicycle. Jongin snorts but follows, making sure he's holding on.

"Let's go," he says.

Kyungsoo snorts for the umpteenth time. "Hold on to me. I don't want you to die on me or else Junmyeon will have a field day," he says and reaches back for Jongin’s right forearm to wrap it around his own tiny waist.

Jongin purses his lips, hesitating before he reluctantly encircles both of his arms around Kyungsoo's tiny waist. He avoids staring at the other's nape, because there are moles there and it fascinates him to no end, which is weird.

But then he regrets looking to his side when he sees Sehun biting both of his lips to stifle a laugh while Chanyeol smirks at him.

He hates his friends. He hates them both. Even Kyungsoo, just for the hell of it.

He yelps when Kyungsoo kicks off, ignoring Chanyeol's shouts of free fruits later.

  
-

  
Kyungsoo first takes him home for him to change, his mother even going out of the way to give Kyungsoo a glass of lemonade, which the smaller takes with a wide and gummy smile.

When he finishes changing he goes out and makes Kyungsoo pedal from the Kims' household to the mart, which is a good ten minutes walk away. But even as they’re riding Kyungsoo's beloved bike, they take fifteen minutes or so because they kept on falling, courtesy of Jongin blowing air at the back of Kyungsoo's ear every now and then.

When they reached the mart, it was already half packed with throngs of people replying to every vendor's ballyhoos.

"Do you think we'll reach the shop before morning?" Kyungsoo asks, brows furrowing while Jongin hops off from the bike. He does the same shortly after.

"Of course," Jongin beams with a little huff. He blanches when a couple of children pass through him, one of them even pushing his butt away for a clear path. “Besides, Mrs. Byun loves us. She’ll give us free fruits once she sees our matching clothes.”

"I really want some mango pie," Kyungsoo mutters to no one. And Jongin wants nothing but to say ' _just tell me and I'll give all the sweets in the whole world to you_ ’ but then again, Kyungsoo likes his desserts homemade, which Jongin doesn't even have any idea how they’re made.

"Let's go," he says, putting a hand just above the hump of Kyungsoo's bum. The latter will kick him on daily basis when around their friends, probably on his shin or elbow or chest. He can tell that Kyungsoo was about to hit him when his palm landed on the sacred body part just now, but it’s good that Kyungsoo withholds his attacks since they’re in the market now, approaching the Byun's fruit emporium.

"Don't you dare try to kiss me like last time," Kyungsoo whispers harshly, but there's a little pout on his lips that makes Jongin want to poke the soft thing. He wonders if the pink lips would bounce back like Kyungsoo's cheeks.

He really likes it when the other tries to be tough and scary but he always end up being adorable. He won't dare tell the other that or else..

"Of course, I won't," he whispers near Kyungsoo's ear, laughing at the shudder that the latter lets out. He guides Kyungsoo towards the fruit store, covering the smaller with his body at some parts where people are camping to buy vegetables and spices.

The market is never a nice place for person like Kyungsoo who sweats and gets irritable easily.

But for the fruits, Jongin thinks his best friend can endure it. Besides, it has turned into a tradition now - them going to the market whenever Jongin's mother asked her son to buy fruits. Kyungsoo will always tag along.

Just like now.

"You have your money?" Kyungsoo asks. He winces when his bike almost hits a short table of grapes and berries.

Shouldn’t have brought the bike, Kyungsoo thought.

"Of course," Jongin answers. They stop in front the Byun's fruit store, smiling at Midam manning the front.

"Jongin hyung!" The teenager beams, waving at them merrily and smiles at Kyungsoo.

"Do you have lemons?" Jongin asks, glancing inside the store and spots no one than the clear large plastics filled with passionfruit.

He flinches when he feels a small pinch on his back, and he looks at Kyungsoo with a frown.

"Oh.. wait.." Midam says lowly. "Mom knows but I don't." The teenager replies, a little sad and panicky.

He must be thinking he's losing potential customers. As if Kyungsoo will let Jongin buy fruits from another store.

"We can wait," Jongin announces with a smile, eyes wandering around to look for a chair or container for Kyungsoo to sit on. He doesn’t want the other to get tired standing here because Kyungsoo can be whiny.

As much as he likes that side of Kyungsoo, he better not. Plus, they’re in a cramped place. Kyungsoo will throw a fit.

“You have lots of mangoes,” Jongin mumbles, looking at the wooden storage lining up at the side filled with mangoes. It has labels, and Jongin can already feel the nerves inside Kyungsoo dancing at the sight of the said fruits.

“We can wait for your mom,” Jongin adds when Midam looks like at the verge of panicking because the younger keeps on arranging the vegetables at the table when they’re already properly arranged in groups.

Midam stops fidgeting when Jongin speaks again.

“Do you have a extra chair?” He asks, a bit shy. Midam looks surprised but he nods, going inside the shop, presumably to take a chair.

“I hope Mrs. Byun would give me mangoes from the Philippines. They’re the sweetest,” Kyungsoo mumbles, and Jongin snickers.

“You’re so sure Mrs. Byun would give us free fruits,” he says with a chuckle, though he himself doesn’t doubt Kyungsoo because never did once happen that Mrs. Byun forget to give them free fruits.

Just as Midam leaves the shop, they hear Mrs. Byun calling out for them, her thick but jolly voice gaining the attention from buyers and merchants around. They ignore her, probably used to her loud voice by now.

Jongin has always thought Baekhyun got his rowdy voice from Mrs. Byun.

“Kyungsoo-yah! Jonginnie!” Mrs. Byun greets them; smiling with a huff because of the boxes she’s holding. Jongin rushes to help the woman, and although the shop owner refuses his help, Jongin waves her protests off with a smile and takes the boxes from the half tired woman.

“It’s Tuesday, right?” Mrs. Byun asks as she saunters inside the shop, telling Midam to put the boxes aside to not block the way. The poor lad does as told. “Good thing you both are early. The morning cut out is in an hour!”

“Why is Baekhyun not here?” Kyungsoo muses.

Jongin rushes to help Midam when the boy decides that it’s okay to carry a box of fruits and the chair he asked for earlier. He takes the chair with a tsk, smiling when Midam looks sheepish.

“What is the seat for?” Mrs. Byun asks. She’s wiping her palms on her apron as Midam opens the box he was carrying to take out the grapes. Kyungsoo gasps softly.

Jongin can’t help but to hide a smile and shake his head internally. He then puts the chair aside, feeling a bit guilty that he had made Midam get it but Kyungsoo doesn’t need it anymore since Mrs. Byun's here now.

“Oh. I borrowed it from Midam because Kyungsoo gets tired easily. He did pedal from the village to here.” He replies easily with a soft smile.

It’s an understatement that Mrs. Byun looks smitten and probably have heart eyes now internally because of how cute this couple is in front of her. Especially, when Kyungsoo himself looks surprised by that fact. Eyes widening as he looks at Jongin’s side profile.

“Aw.. You know, my husband and I, we were like that and never have I ever bickered with him about something ridiculous. I’m glad you two are taking it more peacefully than Baekhyun and Chanyeol,” Mrs. Byun says, and Jongin and Kyungsoo are sure they haven’t heard those words from the woman. She has lots of words from inside her head she probably doesn’t tell a story twice.

“Those two never stop!” She continues to complain. “They break up every other day!”

“Does that mean they didn’t today? Because they had a fight yesterday!” Midam mumbles while picking the grapes with some green parts to ripen them later. “It’s about that TV show they can’t agree with who’s right or wrong.”

“Unfortunately, they did,” Jongin informs with a sigh, remembering the bickering that happened earlier. “Baekhyun threw a flower pot at Chanyeol.”

Mrs. Byun sighs and stops cutting the twigs of the grapes she’s holding to look at them with pursed lips and bored eyes.

“Right now, I care about Chanyeol’s health insurance. My son will probably kill him because of some nonsense argument.” She sighs again.

“Anyway, what fruits do you need? Lemon?” She asks with a motherly tease, which makes Kyungsoo giggle.

Jongin flushes a bit but he nods anyway.

“Two kilos. Minseok is really serious with that diet.” He snorts.

“Baekhyun eats potatoes for dinner. He said it works but I don’t see any changes.” Mrs. Byun tells them and she looks so done with her son in general. Not just with the things that Baekhyun does.

“That’s because he eats at midnight.” Midam supplies, and Kyungsoo snorts at that.

“He can’t let his mouth rest. He'll dry out if he stop his mouth from moving.”

The middle-aged woman nods, eyes wide and lips pursed before she excuses herself to get the lemons. When she’s out of sight, Kyungsoo subtly scoots closer to Jongin who yelps at the pinch he gets and looks down at Kyungsoo incredulously.

“What was that for?!” He wails lowly, rubbing his waist with a huff and pout.

Kyungsoo’s not mad but he looks like he’s sulking with his reddening cheeks.

“You just made her think we’re really dating,” Kyungsoo accuses.

Jongin frowns.

“Doesn’t she already think we're really together?” He muses confusedly. Jongin thinks Mrs. Byun really thinks they’re dating. Hence, why the woman always give free fruits to them for fruitful future. Because they look really cute as couple.

“Pretty sure that Baekhyun convinces her that we're not but now she’s probably thinking that we really are.” The smaller rushes out. Kyungsoo even crosses his arms over his chest and sends him a glare.

Jongin rolls his eyes a bit.

“You make it sounds like it’s a bad idea,” he grumbles.

“I just want some mangoes.” Kyungsoo mumbles, lips pouting. Jongin smiles and looks at the other, watching the latter scrunch up his nose because his glasses propped on his nose bridge were almost sliding off the tip of his button nose.

“I can’t even be mad that you think the idea of dating me is horrible because you look so cute now,” he says with a chuckle and a shake of his head. He can’t help but see the humor in this.

“I hate you.”

Mrs. Byun emerges from the shop, paper bag in hand and smiles at them.

“I suggest you use a cloth bag to store these because brown paper bags don’t hold for too long. But I don’t have those.” Mrs. Byun says apologetically, but Jongin and Kyungsoo wave off her apology.

“No, No, it’s fine!” Kyungsoo almost wails.

“I think there’s a merchant selling cloth bags there,” Midam says while pointing at the rear part of the mart, where merchants are sitting at the side streets.

“We can buy those,” Jongin agrees.

“Okay,” Mrs. Byun says, and hands them two paper bags. “These ones are lemons and this one is for Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo looks so delighted, his cheeks bunching up and Jongin looks away. He opts to thumbs at the bottom corner of the paper bag of lemons just to avoid staring at Kyungsoo’s freckled cheeks. Especially when it’s blushing every shade of tangerine and vermilion.

“Thank you, Mrs. Byun!” Kyungsoo says softly. His usual jolly but polite voice can barely be heard because he sounds like he’s about to cry.

Jongin looks at Kyungsoo again to make sure his best friend won’t cry just because of fruits.

“It’s fine!” Mrs. Byun tells them with a smile and clasps both of her palm in front of her chest, looking so happy with a contented sigh like she just baked cookies for her own children. “Now, you both go on. It’s getting warmer! Look at the sun!”

The woman points at the sun and Jongin, being an idiot he is, looks up to really take a look. He shouldn’t have. Really.

Kyungsoo recites a line of _thank you’_ s again, bowing and almost dropping his glasses. Good thing he’s fast and takes a hold of the frame each time it slips with every bow he takes.

Jongin and Kyungsoo wave at the woman as they walk away, Midam waving a betel at them.

When they’re near the rear of the mart, Jongin abruptly stops pushing Kyungsoo’s bike, making the latter who’s following Jongin and carrying the brown bags stop in his tracks. Jongin’s too cheap to buy a cloth bag.

“What’s the matter?” Kyungsoo asks.

Jongin doesn’t answer. Instead he palms his jean’s pockets and the pockets behind, frowning as he takes out a wad of money that his mother gave to him.

“I forgot to pay!” Jongin exclaims.

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen and his hold on the paper bag tightens as a loud gasp comes out of his pink lips.

“Oh my god!” Kyungsoo says softly. “Let’s go back!”

Jongin whines.

“But that’s like a _hundred_ meters away!” He complains, shoulder sagging when he sees Kyungsoo looking so close to panicking.

“We should head back to pay!” The other argues and even takes few steps to go back, and Jongin can’t do anything anymore. He just sighs, and looks up at the sky to ask the heavens why his Tuesday turned out this way.

Kyungsoo shouts for him to follow, which he does begrudgingly.

-

“My legs feel like they’re going to fall off!”

Chanyeol snorts but doesn’t stop wolfing down the lemon cake Minseok baked earlier.

“It’s been hours,” Chanyeol says, forking a lemon custard off of his lemon sponge while looking up at Jongin who’s walking back and forth. They’re currently camping inside Jongin’s room, Sehun on the floor munching on some dried banana chips. “Stop fidgeting!”

Sehun snorts.

“He’s not fidgeting. He’s walking to hurt his legs more,” the youngest says with sass.

Jongin stops walking and stands in front of his two friends sitting side-by-side on the wooden floor of his room.

“Didn't I tell you both what actually happened?!” Jongin says incredulously. His eyes widening from distraught. Sehun feels bad talking about it again. “We walked back to pay and we didn’t even have any umbrellas with us!”

“Your fault,” Chanyeol shrugs.

Jongin glares but proceeds to sulk.

“That doesn’t stop there! Kyungsoo accidentally hit a cat!” Jongin says exasperatedly, putting a palm to his forehead for a more dramatic effect.

“It’s not dead, chill.” Chanyeol butts in again.

Jongin rolls his eyes and puts his hands on each side of his hips.

“What part of he hit a cat do you not understand?!” Jongin asks seriously. “Never in my entire life I would imagine hurting a cat!”

“I didn’t even think that I would be dating Baekhyun of all people but it did happen.”

Sehun sighs and stands to stop Jongin because the latter looks so close to castrating the taller now.

“What Chanyeol meant is that no one knows what will happen in the future and everything you never thought about that happened, happened. Period. And of course you wouldn’t sit on your table and suddenly think you would hit a cat three years later, right?” Sehun explains with a shrug before eating a handful of those brown and sticky banana chips.

Jongin sighs, but still glares. It’s a good thing he’s no longer frowning at Chanyeol anymore.

“Stop appealing to me with your life philosophies.” He grumbles. “I don’t need those.”

“You do.” Sehun deadpans.

“Actually, you really do.” Sehun adds on. “It’s been years, Jongin, and I’ve been reciting all the life lessons I learn from books I’ve read and still, you haven’t tell Kyungsoo.”

“Tell Kyungsoo what?” Chanyeol asks, confusedly. No one answers him.

“I read more than you do.” Jongin reasons out. Sehun's close to a breakdown now.

“That, too! Which means you probably read more circumstances than I did, enough to know that maybe, it’s not really a bad idea to accept being in love-“

“I do _know_ I'm in love-“

“- and _do_ _something_ about it.”

Jongin opens his mouth, but then shuts it again when he has nothing to talk back.

“Just look at Chanyeol. It worked with him and Baekhyun.” Sehun points at Chanyeol who nods, mouth full with lemon chiffon cake.

“It worked perfectly with Romeo and Juliet too.” Chanyeol supplies.

“Do I have to remind you that Juliet killed herself when she found out that Romeo was dead beside her?” Jongin deadpans.

Chanyeol frowns.

“Didn't Juliet fake her death and Romeo poisoned his own self after that?” The taller asks, still confused as ever.

“I think that’s what happened first. She faked her death and Romeo found out and killed himself then Juliet stabbed herself?” Jongin then asks just as confused as Chanyeol.

“I’m pretty sure Romeo killed Juliet’s side hoe, first.” Chanyeol argues with tight lips while pointing his fork at Jongin’s direction.

“I’m pretty sure they both died but that’s not really the point.” Sehun says exasperatedly, running his fingers through his blonde locks.

“The point is we can’t avoid everything, we don’t even know what will happen in the future, so take a gamble and tell Kyungsoo you like him or something like that,” Chanyeol says, sounding like a much wiser person than he was minutes ago.

“You really think that’ll work?” Jongin asks and he looks so conflicted. Sehun sighs and pulls Jongin to sit beside Chanyeol. He then sit beside the two and calls their names.

“Listen.” He starts. “It worked with Chanyeol. Actually, that’s not the main point.”

Jongin grumbles but Sehun shuts him up.

“The point is, no one thought that things would work right with Chanyeol and Baekhyun. I mean, they always fight but I must admit it’s cute and it’s all bickering. Not serious.” Sehun pinches the tip of his nose as he proceeds.

“The thing here is Chanyeol told Baekhyun about his feelings. And look at them now. They look like those old couples bickering about who left their dentures on the kitchen sink.”

Chanyeol’s loud _hey!_ gets ignored again by the two.

“Things might not work well, but it would be nice if you tell him.”

Jongin knows that’s true. He’s actually been thinking about it for months. Years, even. But he always chickens out. He’s always afraid before he even builds a whole wall of courage, and it scares him if he’s being honest.

In his whole eighteen years of existence, never in his life has he told someone he loves them. Except for his family, of course. But to someone he’s romantically in love with, _no_.

He even dares to think that Kyungsoo is his first love, even if he has a fair share of infatuations here and there. One with Joohyun when he was eleven years old because he thought she looked like his favourite character in a book, and the other one was Soojung from middle school.

Both didn’t last for even a week. He just really thought that they’re pretty and he was just being an appreciative kid back then. Also, he didn’t have preferences back then.

He also didn’t know he’s gay or capable of liking boys. He just found out one fine morning three years ago when Kyungsoo got his first ever pair of eyeglasses from the Oh's.

Kyungsoo was so shy back then, feeling meek at the prospect of being the only one with poor eyesight in their circle of friends. Much more when he deemed he need a pair glasses.

Baekhyun did laugh that day, because Kyungsoo’s face was chubbier back then and the round specs helped Kyungsoo to look squishier. Which is cute but Kyungsoo still hated it.

Jongin was a different case, though.

They were hanging out outside Joohyun's fence house, Sehun boasting about their rose bushes when Kyungsoo walked up to them, still holding a piece of sunflower; sort of a souvenir or token for purchasing a glassware for the first time courtesy by Oh's.

Jongin still remembers how his breath hitched at the sight of Kyungsoo in his dirty white button down that looked too big for him and the black denim shorts the shorter was wearing that morning.

Kyungsoo’s outfit were the definition of monochromatic but his jaundice tinted cheeks and the dust of brown freckles in his cheeks made up for the piebald colors of his clothing.

Kyungsoo had smiled at them that morning, shier than usual and it took one sentence from Baekhyun to make him speak after moments of silence.

_“You look chubbier and squishier!”_

Baekhyun meant no harm. But Kyungsoo was still sensitive back then, causing the other to walk out with teary eyes that Jongin could still see despite the glasses. He had glared at Baekhyun back then before he stormed off to follow Kyungsoo.

He saw Kyungsoo at the pond near the outskirt of the village that day, sitting under the large tree that he still doesn’t know what kind up until now. The shorter was crying, and for the first time, Jongin told himself no one would ever hurt Kyungsoo again.

Not his friend. Not his best friend. Not Kyungsoo.

He used to think no one should hurt his best friend whenever someone made Kyungsoo cry, but that certain morning, he told himself no one should hurt Kyungsoo because he hates to see him cry. Or sad. Or looking sad at all.

He had sat in front of Kyungsoo back then with a huff, not minding the glare Kyungsoo was throwing at him and the heat from the sun on his back, because the tree was not wide enough to shield him.

He had told Kyungsoo he looked pretty. He had corrected his words and told Kyungsoo the glasses looked pretty. He stuttered. But under the bulwark of the unidentified tree, Kyungsoo smiled while looking at him through his lashes, his cheeks getting darker as he burrowed half of his lower face at the protection of his arms propped up on his knees.

Jongin will never forget that moment. Even when Kyungsoo got sassier as years gone by, even when Kyungsoo lost a bit of his lovehandles, even if Kyungsoo can finally ride and own a bike now, that Kyungsoo that day was the prettiest Kyungsoo he’s ever seen.

Even if Kyungsoo’s always perfect in his eyes, even after losing his perfect 20/20 vision, the first time he saw Kyungsoo with glasses was the time he found out that you can fall in love with your bestfriend.

And for years, it stayed that way. Even when Jongin sometimes lost himself and just couldn’t stop ogling, Kyungsoo mistook his airheaded phases for him just being dumb. Even when the truth is he’s a squealing mess inside.

And it’s inevitable, of course, for him to envisage his friend liking him back. Jongin likes to imagine, loves to waste his night thinking about Kyungsoo shying away from him not because he’s dumb but because of the prospect of Kyungsoo thinking he’s handsome. Or him holding Kyungsoo’s hands as they walk down the slope of the street near Sehun's house.

But he always stops when his mind goes too wide, imagining Kyungsoo’s lips on his, confessing a love only for him, he always stops because it always ended up him going back to reality that Kyungsoo probably doesn’t think that way about him. Doesn’t feel that way about him.

And he wants nothing but to keep the friendship, wants nothing to gamble. He’s scared that his feelings would scare Kyungsoo away. He’s scared his feelings won’t be reciprocated. Because even if Jongin had kept it for years, that doesn’t mean he’s fine with his love being one sided.

So he shakes his head with lips pursed, not minding the sigh Sehun lets out at his answer.

“Okay,” Sehun mumbles. “But, think about it.”

Jongin nods, but he, Chanyeol and Sehun too, knows that his answer will always be the same.

-

“That’s stupid.”

Jongin chuckles and looks at Kyungsoo at his side.

“What’s stupid in that? I think Ophelia’s just really in love. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Kyungsoo then snorts. Jongin’s smile doesn’t leave his lips; it got wider when he feels Kyungsoo beside him shuffling to lie down. His moves are careful, enough to not creak the roof of the attic of the Kim’s household.

Stargazing will never get old.

“She killed herself deep in water! Stop romanticizing that!” Kyungsoo argues and Jongin does laugh at that.

“I think it was fine romanticizing that kind around 1500's, though,” he reasons, not really sure himself.

“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean it’s right.” The other still argues.

“Lots of people adore his plays. And he’s not doing any tragedies anymore. You can put his plays to rest now.” Jongin tries to wipe the scowl off of Kyungsoo's face.

The Shakespeare talk started when Jongin remembered the talk he had with Sehun and Chanyeol a fortnight ago. He knows that Kyungsoo loves talking about literature as much as he does, loves theories and critics here and there, so he deems it a good idea to talk about it while under the dark sky with stars stagnant and sleeping above them.

“I don’t like sad endings.” Kyungsoo mumbles.

Jongin hums, blinks a couple of times before looking at Kyungsoo.

“You sound like you already like someone with your perspective being that absolute.” He says with a chuckle, thrumming his chest with vibration.

“Actually, I do.”

Jongin's smile fades slowly, his brows furrowing at the admission.

“Oh.. I _didn’t_ know.” Is his only answer.

Kyungsoo chuckles and fidgets in his spot once more.

“Of course. I _didn't_ tell you, idiot.” Kyungsoo answers with a snort.

Jongin smiles bitterly at the irony.

“Do I know him?” He still asks even if he knows it’ll only hit harder at home inside his chest. But Kyungsoo is his friend. He’ll listen to him blabber about his stupid crush and ignore his petty self.

“Not really sure about that. I mean, he’s dumb most of the times but he’s really nice, I guess.” Kyungsoo says with a half shrug, and then looks at him.

“Can you give me any hint who he is? Maybe I know him,” Jongin offers. He yawns and covers his mouth with a palm. Flies are quite active with such humid nights. He doesn’t want to die choking on some fly bivouacking in his throat.

“Why? You’re gonna look for him and investigate if he ever had dogs when he was seven years old?” Kyungsoo says teasingly. His lips have that arch that looks like bird-shape flying at the sky, like the twin slopes of a heart but he won’t really compare Kyungsoo’s lips to that. He’s in too deep to even add reasons for him to fall deeper.

“Nah,” Jongin replies with a half grimace. He shuffles and puts both of his forearms upward and under his head, making a makeshift pillow for his head. “Just curious.”

“It’s nothing serious, though,” Kyungsoo mumbles. “I don’t want to like him that much. I think he’s too good looking for me.”

“So you only like him for his looks?” Jongin asks.

A leaf flies by then, hitting Kyungsoo exactly on his nose tip and it was so hilarious seeing him about to say something serious only to stop and scrunch up his face because a leaf hit his nose.

“That was rude.” Kyungsoo says, sitting up with a groan.

Jongin sits up, too. And he stares with a smile as Kyungsoo halts a sneeze from coming out.

“I won’t say liking someone with just looks is wrong.” Kyungsoo says, eyes brimming and halts as he sucks in a lungful of air, making the sneeze more shuddering.

Jongin shakes his head and looks up at the moon for a break, before looking at Kyungsoo again.

“Because there’s nothing wrong with liking a person or a thing for its looks. That's what physical attraction is.”

Jongin offers his makeshift blanket of an old scarf for Kyungsoo to use as wipes. The latter grimaces at the feeling of the cloth on his skin.

“But I think the wrong one is loving someone for their looks.” Kyungsoo then looks at him.

“I mean, there are lots of reasons for you to like a person. Maybe, he’s funny. Or he’s smart. Having good looks is a reason, too. And then you see a whole lot more than what’s in the box and I guess that’s when the attraction blooms? I just really hate people’s hypocrisy!”

Jongin smiles. Widely, so wide it hurts his cheekbones but he doesn’t do anything as Kyungsoo starts to recite his perspectives again. He loves these kind of talks.

“People keep on saying your affection is shallow if the reason you like a person is for their looks and it ticks me off because you know, do you think I’m going to wear a sweater with holes in it and a elephant shape dirt? No!”

“Love can start with physical attraction, you know. It’s like in marriage. It can start from something that’s out of the norm like an arranged marriage but lots of them work out?!”

Kyungsoo huffs and throws the scarf at the space between them. He looks so stressed. Which is nothing new to Jongin. Kyungsoo overthinks too much about things that don’t really concern his life but his perspectives are his stands. And Jongin always loves how Kyungsoo’s so open to talk about them a lot but not really pushing his beliefs to others. He likes it that Kyungsoo doesn’t think other people’s perspectives are wrong and he understands them completely.

Being hypocrite and dumb though...

“So.. after that _explaining yourself_ talk, are you going to tell me now if you like him for his looks?” He asks, earning a glare from Kyungsoo.

Jongin can’t really see much because of the darkness outside and his vision not being perfect anymore but he swear he can feel Kyungsoo glaring at him, especially now that Kyungsoo’s wearing his new glasses.

“I _didn’t_ explain anything.”

“You did sound like you _justified_ something just now.” Jongin laughs and he lets it dies down, now smiling as he stares at Kyungsoo who’s looking at him, too.

Kyungsoo then looks away with a scoff.

“He has nice ears.” Kyungsoo mumbles.

Jongin nods, and then looks up at the moon above them.

“I can’t believe you’ll like a person for their ears,” he jokes, but deep inside, there’s a poking feeling wanting to dig deeper than his inside can dig.

“That’s just one of his features I like.”

Kyungsoo yawns after that whispered words.

“I like the side of his neck.”

Another set of yawn after jumble mess of words. Kyungsoo’s almost dead looking now, his eyes drooping, and he’s not fighting it as his eyes close to complete darkness while sitting still.

Jongin smiles, and hovers a hand in front of Kyungsoo as another set of yawn comes out. The latter scrunches up his face at the warm breath that fans over his face, and opens his eyes to see the palm in front of his face.

Kyungsoo swats Jongin’s wrist away, which causes him to laugh.

“I’m really sleepy.” Kyungsoo mumbles.

“My attic room is near,” Jongin mumbles, scooting his face closer to Kyungsoo’s face.

“Hm..” Kyungsoo replies softly eyes closing again.

“So close, it’s just under us.” Jongin whispers in front of Kyungsoo again, under the stars and the moon. Under the judging humid night.

“Hm.. That's good..”

“Can you even stand?” Jongin asks again, now moving to the edge of the roof. It’s a bit steep, which makes him more careful as he crawls to the edge to take a look, even if he already does this kind of thing since they were thirteen.

He has seen the below view from the top of this roof more than he has read Hamlet.

He takes a look at the wooden ladder leaning on the roof, holding on its two poles to stab it at the ground below.

“We're good to go now.” He says a little bit louder. When no one answers, he looks back.

Kyungsoo’s already lying on the roof in a fetal position.

Jongin sighs, and crawls towards Kyungsoo who’s sleeping soundly now. And Jongin had no choice. Besides, this is not the first time anyways.

He snatches the scarf near Kyungsoo and covers the other with it. He deems it not creepy if he watches Kyungsoo sleep for some minutes more.

He ended up watching Kyungsoo sleep for hours, and he might or might not have babbled nonsense to his sleeping friend.

He might or might not have told Kyungsoo that he looked pretty like this, and that he would really like to take him out on a date. Even if it was a date in a mart or the nearby carnival.

Kyungsoo’s only answer is a series of snores.

-

Jongin squints.

“Can you still read it?” Sehun asks, Chanyeol in tow with a toothpick in between his teeth.

“Oh _jfc_ , I want to go home!” Baekhyun wails behind them. “Why am I even here if I’ll be the only short one?! We could’ve had Kyungsoo or Jongdae tag along!”

“Jongdae's with Minseok. You know they’re inseparable.” Sehun snorts, glancing at Baekhyun. He wants to laugh at how pissy the shorter looks.

Baekhyun fans his polo shirt again excessively, letting out annoyed sounds when the cloth sticks to his sweating chest amidst fanning.

“I don’t know what are we even doing here. They’re attending a mass. That would run for two hours!” Baekhyun complains.

No one listens to him. Jongin’s still squinting to try to read what’s on the posted paper of the Bae’s household. Sehun was standing behind him looking bored.

They’re camping outside the Bae’s, on the fences because the household is locked and unoccupied. Meaning, no one’s home.

But the other three, the taller ones convinced Baekhyun that it’s a really good time to visit Dorothy, Joohyun’s Persian cat that everyone loves. Like, everyone loves.

But then again, the girl and her parents are currently in church, attending a mass. She must be having a sixth sense if she goes far to post a note for her friends to notify them of her absence.

Baekhyun has told the taller three that according to the note, Joohyun’s not home. But Jongin had brushed him off, even Chanyeol pushed him aside, saying we need to see the note ourselves.

And Chanyeol has seen it and that’s why he’s now chilling beside his boyfriend. But Jongin hasn’t.

“I swear I saw letter Z or something.” Jongin mumbles, trying his best to push his chest forward as much as his body can but to no avail because there are fences blocking them.

“I should’ve brought my reading glasses,” Sehun mumbles back.

Jongin looks back at his friend with confusion.

“I thought you can only read with it when it’s like, this near.” Jongin says and put up a palm merely two feet away from his face for a demonstration.

Sehun gapes and nods.

“Right,” he agrees with a gulp. “I can only read it if it’s near.”

“It says they’re not here,” Chanyeol says nonchalantly, as if Baekhyun hadn’t been telling the two dumbos that earlier.

“What are you guys doing?”

All four of them turn to look at Kyungsoo who stops and looks at them from his bike, curiosity written in his face.

Jongin elbows Sehun in his waist when the younger lets out a small snicker.

“We're visiting Dorothy.” Chanyeol supplies, pointing his toothpick at the Bae's household.

Kyungsoo looks suspicious, but he nods anyways.

“It may look like we’re going to rob the house but it’s like, one in the afternoon and I believe we have more sixpence than them,” Sehun explains, shrugging and taking a look at the house again.

“That’s what I thought, actually.” Kyungsoo mumbles.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, still not saying a word since Kyungsoo’s arrival. He’s that pissed off.

“Anyways,” Kyungsoo suddenly says, tiptoeing on the right pedal of his bike. “Can I snatch Jongin?”

Jongin swears he shouldn’t be smiling at the choices of words.

Sehun snorts out loud.

“Jongin would snatch you away from your bike if you're even inseparable with that thing.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and beckons Jongin to come and sit at the back.

“Where are we going?” Jongin asks, not minding the scoff Baekhyun let’s out coupled with a nasty glare at them.

“I made mango pie,” Kyungsoo says, pushing his glasses up in his nose bridge. He takes a brief look at the sky. It’s not that hot today.

“That you _stole_ from my mother?” Baekhyun accuses.

“She _gave_ them all to us,” Jongin huffs. “Because we’re that nice. If you just help Midam to man the shop, then you can chew us out in front of her for faking our dates.”

Before Baekhyun can even retort, Kyungsoo’s already screaming bye! at them as he pedals away. Jongin looks back, waving his right hand with a wide smile.

When they reached the Doh’s household, Junmyeon’s already there, which Jongin doesn’t get why. His older brother’s already wolfing down a plate of mango cake, not pie just like what Kyungsoo said earlier.

“Hyung, what are you doing here?”

Junmyeon noticed him just then and the older’s eyes widen.

“Oh, you're here! Minseok just left with Jongdae. Did you see him?” Junmyeon rushes out, wiping his lips with a napkin he’s holding under the plate of his dessert.

Jongin wanders his eyes around when he feels that Kyungsoo’s not behind him anymore. Probably serving a plate for him.

“Why are you here?” He asks again when he turns his attention to his brother again. “I didn’t see Minseok hyung.”

“Why? You’re not home?”

Jongin stares at Junmyeon like he’s the dumb classmate at room.

“You were there when Chanyeol fetched me.” He reminds and sighs. Sometimes Junmyeon’s dumber than Chanyeol.

“Did you know Dad gave Minseok a new pair of leather shoes? I can’t believe it..” Junmyeon mumbles, stabbing his fork at the plate, Jongin wincing at the clanking sound.

“Dad’s home? And no one told me?” He asks confusedly. “Isn’t he supposed to go home every Tuesday? It’s Thursday.”

Kyungsoo comes into view then, emerging from the kitchen and standing beside Junmyeon who proceeds to eat his dessert. Kyungsoo lays the plate of mango pie on the kitchen counter near Jongin. There's a rose gold fork stabbed at the cream cheese filling of the pie, making Jongin pout at the ruined dessert.

“Shouldn't you be happy that your Dad's home earlier this week? It’s not easy working at the city without family to go home to.” Kyungsoo mumbles before walking away to pull three chairs from beside the wooden closet of their fine china collections, offering a seat to Junmyeon who accepts it with a prominent pout.

Jongin takes the seat beside Kyungsoo, because he can, facing his brother who's still eating the cake.

“He gave me a wristwatch. He gave Minseok leather shoes,” Junmyeon mumbles, obviously still sulking without any ounce of pun.

That worries Jongin a little bit. If there’s someone considerate in their family, it’s Junmyeon. It’s rare to see him like this. Jongin doesn’t even have a space in his mind to think about what gift his father bought for him.

“Why are you sad?” He asks with a frown. “You’re not even wearing it.” He says, taking notice of Junmyeon’s two-year old watch around his wrist.

“Why would I? Mine's still working,” his brother replies.

The answer makes Jongin worry more.

“So? Wear it so Dad knows you appreciate it.”

“I appreciate it. It’s just, Minseok doesn’t need the shoes. He’s never going out. He works at home. I’m still attending college and I need that. I told Dad last week I needed new shoes.”

Jongin falters at what Junmyeon said. Because it’s true. Junmyeon is still in college and if there’s someone who needs that shoes, that should be Junmyeon. Minseok’s a painter and sculptor, he rarely goes out. And when he does, he prefers sneakers.

“Minseok was surprised, too. We want to switch but you know Mom.”

Jongin nods. His mother would probably scold them about being inconsiderate over their father's hard work.

Jongin purses his lips, looking at the pie in front of him.

“I feel guilty. For sulking.” Junmyeon suddenly says, softly. “I can just ask Dad for next week.”

“You can do that,” Jongin agrees. But maybe, it’s more than that. It’s not the gifts. It’s about his father not knowing what they want and need, and it must be because he’s not there most of the time of his three sons’ lives.

But they love him nonetheless. It’s just really sad sometimes.

Jongin sighs as he watches Junmyeon ask for a second plate, which reminds him of his own dessert.

It’s now soft but still cold, which is good because that’s how Jongin wants his cheesecake. Kyungsoo still judges him over it. But he can care less.

Especially when the sweets are made by Kyungsoo.

After some moments and after Junmyeon cleaned his third plate of mango cake, the latter bids his goodbye, but not without telling Jongin to go home for dinner. Kyungsoo made sure to pack a whole cake for the Kim's, and also for Jongin to have a taste of the mango cake.

“You made lots of them.” Jongin says, forking the pointy corner of his second serving of cheesecake.

“That’s your last,” Kyungsoo says instead, pointing his fork at Jongin’s plate. Jongin frowns at the other, brows furrowing amidst chewing the crust. Pure heaven of cream cheese and mangoes.

‘ _Dairy_ ’, Kyungsoo mouths before eating a spoonful of mango cake.

Jongin knows better than to whine and argue, so he settles with eye rolls and a pout. Which really doesn’t work on Kyungsoo anymore. He’s already immune to it.

“Are we going to hang out after this?” Jongin asks.

Kyungsoo hums, lips pursing around the fork.

“If you want to.” Kyungsoo says after some moment, smacking his lips a couple of times. “I mean, I snatched you away from those noobs to prevent you from robbing a house. But still your choice if you want to hang out.”

“We weren’t going to rob the house.” Jongin groans. “We just want-“

“-To see and steal Dorothy? Robbing, it is.”

Jongin rolls his eyes again.

“You’re extensively snarky today.” He tells Kyungsoo who just give him a bored stare before eating the last forkful of his cake.

“I know.” Kyungsoo replies sassily. “Finish that. I have something to show you.”

Jongin frowns. “So, we’re really going to hang out?”

“Yes.” Kyungsoo answers.

When he finished his pie, they trek to Kyungsoo’s room in the attic, same with Jongin’s room but Kyungsoo’s a whole bandbox and neat. Unlike Jongin’s.

Kyungsoo pushes him down to the bed to sit and goes to the tea table that is now Kyungsoo’s study table, various sticky notes compiled there and some pens and styluses.

“What do you want me to see?” Jongin asks.

Kyungsoo stands up with a sketch pad, the sketch pad that Kyungsoo carries around with him everytime the smaller feels like sketching, and Jongin falls in love all over again at the looks Kyungsoo has on his face.

“Look at this..” Kyungsoo mumbles, sitting beside Jongin while hugging the sketch pad to his chest. Normally, Jongin would tease the other about it, he would tell Kyungsoo he’s being a noob and geek again with his sketch pad but this time, _this time_ Jongin won’t. Because Kyungsoo has this look in his eyes, they sparkle and they are full of a happiness Jongin can’t quite decipher and he won’t let his dumb self ruin this for Kyungsoo.

Jongin watches as Kyungsoo uncovers the first page, revealing something in hues of dirty cream and lines and curves made of pencil leads and hand moves.

It was a portrait of a Victorian era kid Kyungsoo saw on a local gallery near the French toast station. Jongin used to think Kyungsoo was dating someone for he kept on coming back for a whole fortnight. Turned out Kyungsoo was busy sketching the pretty portrait.

Kyungsoo then flips through the pages gingerly to not ruin the past sketches. But then, Kyungsoo’s suddenly pushing him away, Jongin tumbling back but good thing Kyungsoo’s bed is wide enough. He ends up at the edge, almost falling over.

“What was that for?” Jongin asks incredulously, staring at Kyungsoo who’s blinking at him while clutching the sketch pad to his chest.

“Promise me you won’t laugh first.” Kyungsoo demands. And suddenly Jongin's reminded of the first time Kyungsoo threw him his first phases of attitude.

He sighs, anyways.

Kyungsoo stares some seconds, and pursing his lips before he beckons Jongin to sit beside him.

“Don’t push me again.” He says. Kyungsoo shushed him before detaching the pad off of his chest, and Kyungsoo mutters a thank god when there's no smudges in his clothes.

“So, I did this..” Kyungsoo mumbles, and Jongin can’t see what kinds of expressions are playing on Kyungsoo’s face now, because his attention is currently on the open page, revealing lines and slopes of graphite in different shades and strokes.

“I was bored, and I didn’t want to hang out with Jongdae because apparently, he’s dating Minseok now.” Kyungsoo says again with a snort. But Jongin’s still staring.

He doesn’t even have a mind to think about his brother dating someone now. All he can do is stare, stare and not saying anything.

“You’re not saying anything.”

That jolts Jongin away from his mind wandering, and looks at Kyungsoo who’s frowning and probably thinking that Jongin’s not liking what he’s seeing. Which is far from truth.

Jongin panics when Kyungsoo puts up his left hand and starts to nibble his thumb. He’s quick to swat the hand away softly, and offers a smile at the other.

He then turns his attention back at the sketch, finally sinking now in his mind, which causes him to smile and feel smug, of all things.

“That's me..” He whispers. His thumb is itching to touch the rough pad, but he doesn’t want to ruin such masterpiece. And he’s not even talking about himself.

Everything Kyungsoo does is wonderful. Everything.

“Yeah. You.” Kyungsoo parrots, still smiling and staring at the pad. The smile from before, from minutes ago, is back. And Jongin doesn’t really know if he should talk or not. Because if he does, he might say something stupid. If he doesn’t, Kyungsoo would feel bad.

Kyungsoo would probably smile and wave it off, but Jongin knows Kyungsoo enough to know he wants some appreciation, too

“Do you know this philosophy?” He says instead. “That when you sketch someone, they’re probably special. If you sketch someone thousand times, you love sketching.”

The laugh Kyungsoo lets out is simply pretty, so pretty Jongin can’t help but to watch and stare, to witness the beauty in front of him. Beside him.

“Well, I’m still sorry though. I can only sketch the side view.” Kyungsoo says with a shrug.

“Yeah,” Jongin agrees. “Which I wonder why. You always sketch me but always side view. You’re making me think now that I’m only half handsome.”

Kyungsoo laughs with a snort, and closes the sketch pad and sets it aside. He then lies on the bed, patting the space beside, signalling Jongin to lie down, too.

Which he does.

“I like your side view.” Kyungsoo says.

Jongin watches as Kyungsoo closes his left eye, face crunching up as he focuses his right eye at the ceiling. Kyungsoo holds up an arm and points an index finger at the spot he’s staring at with one eye. It’s weird, for Jongin, at least.

A cute kind of weird.

“I always do that.” Jongin suddenly butts in.

“Do what?” Kyungsoo asks.

“That. Squinting.”

Kyungsoo snickers.

“That’s because you’re blind as a bat.”

“Hey!” Jongin protests.

“What?” Kyungsoo deadpans. “You’ve been squinting for years and you still believe that your 20/20 vision is still there? Get your eyes checked!” Kyungsoo huffs out.

“I really need glasses now, huh? Seems convenient if you can sketch me that good.” He mumbles with a yawn at the end of his words. A nap sounds so good right now.

“Maybe. Or maybe I just really like your side view.”

Jongin shuffles to his side, propping up his left elbow on the bed and cradles his head with his left hand.

“What’s so good with my side view?” He asks. Kyungsoo hums.

“Your jaw? Your jawline. The proportion of your ears to your jaw. Especially, that part. Your ears and jaw are nice.“ Kyungsoo answers while still squinting at the ceiling, and looks at him then with a smile Jongin can’t quite decipher.

Jongin can’t find any words to say. He just continues to stare and this time, it doesn’t feel weird. It feels right watching Kyungsoo watching him.

“My glass frame’s name is Stohess,” Kyungsoo whispers eventually. “Just in case you want the design.”

Kyungsoo’s glass frame is not a perfect round. But still large and circular and it suits Kyungsoo. It’s a mix of dark brown and transparent peach. Jongin doesn’t know if it’ll suit him. But he’s sure it suits Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo looks drowsy, and it’s confirmed when the latter yawns. Jongin shakes his head a bit and sits up, hovering over Kyungsoo to take the glasses off of Kyungsoo’s face.

“It’s blurry. My glasses.” Kyungsoo mumbles, followed by another yawn.

Jongin takes a look at the glasses, Kyungsoo watching him as he inspects the glasses.

“It has flour,” Jongin says. And he did the most disrespectful thing in history. He wipes the glasses using the hem of his shirt.

“Hey!” Kyungsoo scolds softly, on the brink of sleep.

“Take a nap, you dummy,” Jongin says with a chuckle. He watches as Kyungsoo closes his eyes, sleep consuming his system and Jongin stands up to put the glasses on the table.

‘ _Must be tired from all those baked goods_ ’, Jongin thinks, staring at the other sleeping. Kyungsoo’s mouth is agape, and Jongin thinks it’s so cute he might steal Kyungsoo away from the Doh’s.

He smiles and walks to the door and stepping out, closing the door slowly to not wake Kyungsoo up.

He mouths _good nap_ and decides to take a nap too when he gets home. But the dairy starts kicking.

Jongin spends some minutes at the toilet, instead.

-

“I told you, the round specs suits you better.” Sehun argues, brows furrowing and trying to convince Jongin that coloured frames doesn’t suit Jongin.

“Black or brown suits you. I’m telling you.” Chanyeol seconds. Jongin ignores their comments and steps aside to the next set of frames.

It’s Tuesday. His father went home last night for his weekly visit and it was a chaos because his father didn’t have anything for his brothers and only for Jongin, only because Jongin didn’t get a present last Thursday.

And Jongin’s more than glad that his father still hasn’t bought anything, telling him they can go to the boutique near the market but Jongin has other wants.

He told his father he wants a glass instead. Eyeglasses. For the people with poor eyesight.

Jongin also knows that his friends have been telling him to use glasses already, but he didn’t listen. Only when Kyungsoo pointed it out again last Thursday he did decide that maybe, he does.

It’s a complete understatement that Sehun’s more than shock when he steps into the glassware shop with his father this Tuesday morning, Sehun gaping at him and immediately sprinting off to call Chanyeol for the miracle about to happen.

“Thank heaven, we don’t have to read notes from the board for Jongin to copy!” Chanyeol had whined which earned him a not so soft punch from Jongin.

“Kyungsoo said he got Stohess,” Jongin informs. “Do they have other colors? But I want it less round? Not totally round?”

Sehun stares.

“Yeah we have, but it’s not Stohess anymore. It has another name. They’re, you know, different designs.”

Chanyeol snickers from behind.

“Okay,” Jongin says, dismissing the sarcastic retort from Sehun. Mr. Oh is still busy talking with his assistant about the prescriptions, because apparently, it’s possible for eyes to have different grades of blur.

Which Jongin doesn’t know. Maybe, he’s the only one who doesn’t know because when he asked, Sehun sent him a disgusted and judging look.

Mr. Oh emerges from the optical room, smiling at them and fist bumping Jongin’s father.

They’re acting more like teenagers than their sons.

“Do you already have a pick?” Mr. Oh asks and sits down on a wooden chair. Sehun goes to his father’s side abruptly.

“Dad! Tell him the Stohess doesn’t suit him!” Sehun whines while pointing at Jongin and Chanyeol still looking at the other designs.

Mr. Oh sighs and takes off his glasses.

“You can’t decide what your friend wants.”

“But-“

“Mr. Oh, I like this one.”

All of them look at Jongin, the latter holding a black frame, Sehun sighs in relief.

“That one?”

Jongin looks at his father who walks to him, looking at the frame and nods.

“I think it look goods on you.”

The frame is stylish. But it’s not fully round specs. It’s the bridge that connects the two round frame that interests Jongin. It’s a bit crooked, bent and he’s instantly in love with the style.

Good thing his mother is not here or else she would have a field day inside the optical shop and at home.

“You can put it here,” Mr. Oh says, tapping his table with his index finger. And then points at another glass case near them. “And you can choose what case you want there. It’s free so don’t be scared to choose a leather one.”

Jongin nods and follows as Mr. Oh tells him. He feels his cheeks heating up at the words he hears being exchanged between his dad and Mr. Oh.

“Why did you bring him just now? His left eyes’ 180! No one starts at 180! Are you sure his eyes just got poor this year?” He hears Mr. Oh half scolds his dad. Jongin feels guilty and bad for his dad. The middle aged Kim’s probably sad not knowing much about Jongin because of his job and weekly visits only.

“I didn’t know. He just told us.” His dad says and Jongin can’t hear any defense in that. But he’s still betrayed his dad outed him like that.

“Jongin is really hardheaded. He got that from you.”

Jongin stops eavesdropping to focus on the cases, feeling excited that finally, he’s getting a pair of glasses.

“Are you aware you chose Tuesday?”

Jongin frowns at Sehun who pops up beside him, hands playing with a frame sample Chanyeol was wearing earlier just now.

“I did what?” He asks, confused.

“Your frame. Its name is _Tuesday_.” Sehun says with a shrug. “Must be fate.”

“Tuesday?” Jongin parrots.

Their conversation gets cut off when Mr. Oh calls for Jongin, explaining that the glasses would be finished by noon, so they can come back after lunch.

“My wife's not here, so I guess the flowers will be given to you tomorrow? If that’s okay?” Mr. Oh asks while scribbling something on a note pad.

“It’s fine. I can wait.” Jongin says with a smile, and after paying for the glasses and some chatting between Mr. Oh and his Dad, they go home.

-

That was the longest three hours of Jongin’s life.

An hour ago during lunch, he couldn’t even finish a piece of chicken thigh and it’s all because of his excitement. He even felt like puking while Junmyeon was washing the dishes. He was excited.

After three hours or so Sehun knocked on their door, and he didn’t have to say anything for Jongin to understand why. He pushed Sehun to walk, telling his father he can get the glasses on his own.

And that was an hour ago.

They’re now hanging out inside the Kang's tavern, sipping on their non-alcoholic root beer float with Baekhyun staring at Jongin.

“Stop staring.” Jongin warns the other, but Baekhyun props his elbow on the table and proceeds to stare at him.

“You’re worried.” Baekhyun points out.

“Of?” He asks. He stirs his still frozen yogurt on top of his drinks.

“What’s there to worry about?” Chanyeol seconds and takes a big sip of his drink. Baekhyun glares at the sound of it.

“Well,” Sehun butts in. “Kyungsoo haven’t said anything.”

Jongin purses his lips and looks at the tavern counter where Kyungsoo’s standing with Joohyun ordering frozen yogurts and ripe mango cubes. And true to Sehun's words, Kyungsoo hasn’t uttered a word about it.

Jongin was scared, still worried, especially when Kyungsoo entered the shop while laughing as he pushed Baekhyun, but the moment Kyungsoo’s eyes landed on him the smile dropped instantly. Jongin was so ready to rant and vent out how heavy the metal frame Mr. Oh made him wear while changing the round glasses to fit his vision but his excitement died down at the expression he saw in Kyungsoo's face.

Up until now Kyungsoo hasn’t said anything. He refused to look at Jongin too, and that makes his heart ache a bit. He feels sad because he thought Kyungsoo would be happy. Would probably tease him for finally giving in.

This is not the reaction that he was expecting.

“We should go home after this if you don’t want the village chief to tag us along to community service.” Baekhyun says and takes a spoonful of soft serve sundae off of his float. He then sips the root beer to the last drop, Sehun grimacing at the amount of acid Baekhyun can take in one go.

“Well, lucky me,” Joohyun says, Kyungsoo in tow and both sit at their table. Jongin can’t help but to take a look at Kyungsoo. But the other doesn’t even bother to look at him. His frown deepens.

“Of course.” Baekhyun snorts.

“I should help. But my father treats me,” Joohyun says with a shrug and starts now to drink her root beer.

Jongin tries hard to ignore the gnawing feeling at the depth of his stomach. He keeps on looking at Kyungsoo, feeling a bit weird now that he can see the other clearly, thanks to his new glasses, but the other made it clear that he’s avoiding him, much to Jongin’s confusion.

Kyungsoo participated in conversations, even laughing at some of the jokes Chanyeol spits out after being quiet for a while. Jongin’s clearly upset. How come Kyungsoo can think he can just ignore him and not say anything?

Especially, now that Jongin’s not trying to hide the sourness of his mood, pouting and pursing his lips and poking the aluminium straw at the bottom of the glass. If ever, it just made Jongin more upset because Kyungsoo _obviously_ noticed. He just decided to not react to it.

When Sehun and Chanyeol announced that they’re going now, he’s still sulking. Joohyun had to tap his forehead with her wooden, folding fan.

When they step out of the tavern, it was still hot; warmer than earlier, consider it being one in the afternoon.

Joohyun turns to them, shielding her eyes with a hand on her forehead. Jongin would be anxious at the sight and would ask Joohyun if she applied sun protection before going out, but he’s clearly not in the mood.

“Try to be invisible, okay?” Joohyun tells them. She’s frowning because of the sun and warm weather.

Jongin's sure that Sehun wants nothing but to make an umbrella right there and then.

“Okay! Call me when you get home!” Baekhyun calls out as Joohyun treks the slope of the street, the lady waving at them and while Baekhyun’s signalling a phone call using his thumb and pinky finger.

When Joohyun rounds a corner, Chanyeol huffs.

“What was _that_?” The taller asks, arms crossed over his chest while staring down at Baekhyun.

“What’s this?” Chanyeol proceeds to ask, imitating the phone call gesture Baekhyun did just now.

“Are you seriously jealous of her? I’m gay,” Baekhyun deadpans.

Jongin sighs as he watch the two start to bicker again while walking away, presumably to go home, Sehun snorting at the two before turning to him. To them.

“You two hanging out after this?” Sehun asks, kicking a stone on the ground.

Jongin breath hitches, not quite ready for Kyungsoo’s answer. He looks to his side, seeing Kyungsoo’s eyes widening, staring at Sehun.

Kyungsoo blinks, before a nervous chuckle comes out of his pink lips.

“Not really. I’m helping Mom,” Kyungsoo answers, pointing a thumb where the path to their street is. Sehun nods, and Jongin catches the latter’s glance at him.

“Okay. Jongin, you? You should go home. My mom would probably go home tomorrow. Your sunflower will be a day late. Sorry.” Sehun tells, not really sounding sorry at all.

Jongin shakes his head with a smile, reaching out a hand to pat Sehun on the forehead.

“It’s fine,” he replies, though he’s a bit excited about it since yesterday. Not that he likes sunflowers at all. He’s just excited over it.

“I can walk with Kyungsoo to go home,” he says, sending Kyungsoo a look and knows it’s not really a problem.

But to his surprise, and to Sehun's too, Kyungsoo waves his hands frantically, shaking his head in the process, too.

“No! I mean, you can go ahead! I have to buy something at the mart. So you go home now.” Kyungsoo excuses with a shaky smile.

Jongin tries not to frown. He does. But he couldn’t help it and still furrows his brows. Kyungsoo doesn’t notice it and walks away.

“See you later!” He calls out them.

Jongin watches as Kyungsoo runs away, his hair bobbing at every movement he makes and Jongin can’t find it in himself to be mad or upset, not when it’s clear that something seems to be bothering Kyungsoo’s mind a bit right now.

“He’s being weird..” Sehun mutters beside him. Jongin silently agrees, pursing his lips while still watching Kyungsoo.

“Your glasses are falling off,” Sehun adds.

Jongin turns to Sehun and blinks, before realizing what Sehun had meant.

“Oh..” He whispers, his index finger fixing it by upping it to his nose bridge. The frame feels snug but they keep on falling.

“Go home and take a rest. You might feel a bit dizzy because it’s new,” Sehun informs, pointing at his glasses. “And don't wipe it clean with your clothes. It’s too soon and new to do that.”

Sehun then walks away, his house being some meters away from the Kang's.

Jongin turns back to begin his walk home, his index finger upping the frame to his nose bridge again.

Jongin sighs. He needs to get used to it.

-

Dinner time when Jongin wakes up from his an hour long nap, courtesy of his dizziness, still not used with the glasses.

Minseok woke him up because dinner time, and Jongin, though almost close to snap at the older, opted to groan because Minseok apologized for waking him up.

And now, he’s still trying to get used to the glasses. He almost dropped a handful of rice and drops of kimchi paste at the table because he thought he's already pouring the food in his bowl, turns out no because his vision is messing up with him.

He’s really close to drop the glasses now and stomp on it but he knows he’s just being irrational. He knows it’s just the first use and he’ll get used to it in weeks. He’s just being cranky.

Plus, the fact that Kyungsoo’s ignoring him.

“Junmyeon will wash the dishes so you won’t break anything,” his mother suddenly says, halting Jongin’s strings of reveries.

“I always do the dishes,” Junmyeon mumbles. Jongin smiles apologetically at his older brother, simply because he can’t help Junmyeon now to bring the plates at the sink. That’s his only help because it’s a miracle for Jongin to even wash a cup without breaking the holder.

“I’ll go help with the wiping then,” he suggests. His mother’s about to protest but Jongin’s quick to reason further. “I’ll use lots of towels.”

His mother seems reluctant, not from him breaking anything but him moving in general because of his glasses.

“Mom, I’ll do it. Don’t worry,” Jongin tries to assure.

In the end, his mother gives up and agrees with a shrug.

“Okay.” Their mother says just as Junmyeon's picking up the plates. Minseok stands up, too, to gather all the remaining leftovers and puts them on the refrigerator before going to his room to prepare for his night ride to the city.

Jongin’s actually invited by Minseok because there’s a new gallery opening but due to Jongin’s situation, their mom literally said that Jongin’s close to being bedridden.

Jongin stands beside Junmyeon, watching the elder rinse the grease off first before scrubbing them with dishwasher.

“You can sit and wait ‘til I’m finished,” Junmyeon tell him and briefly looks at him, then laughing at him because Jongin’s blinking his eyes to adjust his vision again. His eyes gets cloudy from not blinking too much these past few hours and it’s because Jongin’s amazed how come he never thought eyeglasses are a work of magic.

“Seriously, sit down.” Junmyeon tells him, a little annoyed.

Jongin begrudgingly follows and does sit down at the kitchen table, leaning the side of his head on the table. He watches Junmyeon as the older tries to scrub off the red grease of kimchi on the plastic container, face crunching up in annoyance.

“I can scrub that for you,” he mumbles. Junmyeon looks at him with little glare.

“Go get the towels.”

Jongin groans, feeling comfortable now in his position. He doesn’t want to move anymore but if he won't then he’ll probably feel like an arsehole for not following Junmyeon.

In the end, after dozing off for minutes, he stands up from his chair and saunters towards the rack where the towels for drying the plates are hanging. He waves them in the air harshly to first brush off the dust, if there’s any, before going back to his seat.

Junmyeon's now rinsing the plates, the utensils already at the table when he came back.

“Are your glasses still fine?” Jongin finds himself asking, Junmyeon then looking at him with questioning eyes.

“Yes? Kind of?” Junmyeon replies.

“I see..” Jongin nods.

He wonders how glasses last, because Kyungsoo’s glasses are almost four years old now. And even if Kyungsoo has reading glasses, he sees the other wearing his regular one more.

“Why do you ask?” Junmyeon then asks. “You don’t have to worry about it. You just got your glasses and if you take care of your eyes, you won’t need to change your glasses sooner.”

Jongin grumbles at the tone of his brother's voice.

“I’m not thinking about that.” He grumbles. He looks up and watches as Junmyeon makes his way towards the table to sit in front of him. Jongin lays a towel down first before Junmyeon puts the plates on top of it.

“Is it Kyungsoo?” Junmyeon muses while putting a plate on the towel laid on the table. Jongin rolls his eyes, wipes it gingerly and set it aside. Junmyeon then puts another one down and Jongin wipes it again.

“Just wondering if his glasses still suits his vision,” he mumbles.

Junmyeon hums and Jongin looks at his brother through his eyelashes, his brows furrowing when he sees Junmyeon smiling.

“I'm serious.” He grumbles.

“I didn’t say you’re not,” Junmyeon retorts back.

Jongin scoffs and just proceeds to wipe the plates given to him, trying not to frown when he remembers the way Kyungsoo acted earlier.

Did he pick up on Kyungsoo's words wrongly? What if Kyungsoo was just kidding last time about the glasses?

He shakes his head, completely deep in his reverie that he didn’t notice Junmyeon calling out for him.

He snaps his head up to his brother who's tapping him on his cheek, Jongin's eyes widen when he looks at Junmyeon.

“Hyung?” He asks, confused.

“Someone’s knocking.” Junmyeon says. And Jongin would tell him to open it but he’s the youngest in this house. He can’t really do anything about it.

He grumbles for the umpteenth time this day as he saunters towards the front door, shouting a lazy coming! to the person knocking persistently on the door.

He swiftly opens the door with a scowl ready on his face to scare whoever ruined his peaceful day, and he feels bad knowing Junmyeon's probably wiping the plates dry now after washing them.

“ _What_?” He snaps.

Only to be greeted by the sight of Kyungsoo in a different outfit from earlier. Kyungsoo obviously took a bath before going here and Jongin wants to ask where is Kyungsoo going because he notices the effort judging by the choices of his clothes.

Orange shirt tucked in on a denim shorts that reaches his middle shin, and the slight gloss on Kyungsoo's lips that Jongin is certain is not from spit. Don’t ask him _why_ he knows. Not that he always watches whenever Kyungsoo licks his lips.

 _Oh_. And Kyungsoo’s holding a sunflower.

“Kyungsoo?” He asks.

Kyungsoo looked a bit shy a few seconds ago, but now he’s rolling his eyes after Jongin uttered his name.

“No, I’m Baekhyun.”

Jongin finds it a bit weird, because the Kyungsoo he knows would say those words with such sass, but this Kyungsoo in front of him reminds him of a younger Kyungsoo, bashful and smiley after saying such words.

“Why are you here?” Jongin asks. He tries not to let his delight be known but he’s not sure if he’s doing a good job hiding it. He steps outside and closes the door behind his back.

He looks down at Kyungsoo's clothes, as if he just noticed, and furrows his brows.

“It’s like, eight in the evening. Why are you dressed like you’re going somewhere?” He asks, confused and wondering.

Kyungsoo looks down at his clothes too and lets out an airy chuckle.

“Do I look like I dressed up?” Kyungsoo asks. “I’m going to hang out with Joohyun. But I’m still not sure if I want to. I only agreed because of Dorothy.” Kyungsoo says with a laugh.

Jongin nods slowly, a small smile slowly forming in his lips, seeing Kyungsoo acting normal again after what happened earlier. Whatever it is.

“Okay. You just want to tell me that?” He asks then, smiling when Kyungsoo bites onto his lower lip and looks down.

Jongin looks down too and stares at the sunflower Kyungsoo is holding to his chest.

“Is that for me?” Jongin jokes, and he chuckles at his own jokes. He halts, however, when Kyungsoo thrusts the flower at him with a shrug.

“It’s for you.” Kyungsoo confirms. “Uhm, I bumped into Mrs. Oh when she was on her way home and she asked me where I’m going. I told her I’m visiting you so she gave me that and asked if I could give it to you. Because, you know. Your glasses..”

Jongin looks down at the sunflower. It’s vibrant. Almost the same color as Kyungsoo’s shirt. He takes a hold of the stem of the flower and examines it, smiling and twirling it back and forth.

He then looks at Kyungsoo, his smile getting stagnant as he sees Kyungsoo biting his lips, as if stifling a smile.

He looks giddy and shy. But that’s just Jongin’s imagination, maybe.

But the rubicund shades on Kyungsoo takes Jongin’s attention fully, the cheeks getting vibrant while Kyungsoo stares at the sunflower in Jongin’s hand.

“Did you run all the way here?” He asks.

Kyungsoo’s head snaps up and Jongin wants to thank his father for his great height genes because looking down at Kyungsoo like this feels nothing but delightful. He can see all the pretty. _Such vision_.

“Hhmp?” Kyungsoo hums in an asking tone, his hum halting at the end like a shy and short whimper and Jongin inhales a lungful of air just to ease the somersaults in his chest.

Kyungsoo then shakes his head, his bob hair shaking, and smiles at him with closed lips, looking smitten, of all things.

“I’m just.. I’m glad you chose that frame. It’s good.” Kyungsoo says a bit fast.

Jongin takes off his glasses and looks at it. He wears it again and smiles at Kyungsoo.

“How do I look with it?” Jongin asks, just to get some appreciation from the person in front of him.

Kyungsoo giggles a bit, and Jongin’s hold on the stem of the sunflower tightens.

“It really looks good. It looks good on you..” Kyungsoo mumbles while nodding, staring at him. “It’s unfair how you don’t look like a nerd. You look more like a professor or something.”

Jongin barks a laugh at that.

“Thanks.” He says.

“For?” Kyungsoo asks, sounding sassy. “Lots of professors are balding.”

And there goes the sassy Kyungsoo again. It amuses Jongin, how come Kyungsoo can be cute but then sassy the next second. But he can’t really dwell on it too much. He knows Kyungsoo is always cute.

Before he can even retort, Kyungsoo’s speaking again.

“I need to go now. I just wanted to visit to see the glasses, and the flower, too.” Kyungsoo says and points at the sunflower with his left hand. “I’ll tell Mrs. Oh I already gave them to you.”

Jongin nods with a smile.

“Rest well. Rest your eyes.” Kyungsoo says sternly. Jongin shakes his head with an eyeroll. He’s smiling, though.

“Okay. Don’t go home too late. You’ll get locked out.” Jongin warns. Kyungsoo nods and motions for him to go inside now.

Jongin wants to ask Kyungsoo if he wants him to send him off to the Bae's. But Kyungsoo is capable of doing things on his own. That’s just the in love part of him wanting to spend time with Kyungsoo.

He opts to follow Kyungsoo’s words and turns the doorknob to open the door.

Then Kyungsoo speaks again making Jongin look back at the other.

“You look good. With the glasses on.” Kyungsoo mumbles. Jongin stares.

“You look really good..” Kyungsoo mutters again, and there’s something in his tone that Jongin can’t decipher. But Kyungsoo doesn’t sound happy nor sad.

“I’m going now.” Kyungsoo announces. He starts to walk away, turning to Jongin a bit to wave, before reaching his bike parked outside the fences.

Jongin watches Kyungsoo as he pedals away. He watches as the bike goes too far to be seen anymore.

A smile blooms in his lips, wide and giddy.

He enters the foyer and sprints to his room, not minding Junmyeon's judging eyes as he treks up the stairs.

He shouts a _sorry!,_ though, when he hears his mother scolding him for running. He closes the door of his room at the attic, and saunters towards the transparent, steep vase settling on the window. He puts the sunflower there gingerly with a smile.

And dives in on the memory of Kyungsoo just now. He can’t help but feel so happy, too happy, that Kyungsoo approves of his glasses.

Kyungsoo adores his glasses, and it’s enough to make his whole week a happy mess.

He can’t really wait to tell Sehun about it.

But first, he needs to take a bath.

-

After taking a bath and belting out Paul Anka’s song, he goes to the Oh's to tell Sehun about what happened.

He prefers to rest, to be honest, just like what Kyungsoo told him. But he’s excited. He’s so excited he even called Chanyeol to hang out at Sehun’s place since he wants to thank Mrs. Oh too.

When he gets there, it’s already quarter to ten in the evening. He pokes the doorbell and waits for his friend to open the door, fidgeting on the balls of his feet.

When the door opens, it's Chanyeol with a piece of bread in his mouth. Jongin takes note of the bulging stomach of his friend under the gray t-shirt, but he opts to stay quiet over it. Chanyeol is an insecure mess when it comes to weight. Seems like he got that from Baekhyun.

“Why are you so hyper?” Chanyeol asks and Jongin goes inside the Oh's foyer, walking pass Chanyeol to run and go inside Sehun’s room.

When he opens the door, Sehun shrieks and scowls at him.

“Sorry if I surprised you-“

“Why are you wearing your shoes inside?!” Sehun groans loudly and stands up to push Jongin outside of his room.

Chanyeol then comes and says a muffled _excuse_ _me_. Sehun pushes him aside to let Chanyeol go inside his room, and because they don’t really fit through the door.

“Take off your shoes.” Sehun says sternly. Jongin rolls his eyes but obliges, toeing off his shoes and entering the room.

Sehun follows and closes the door before throwing a bag of potato chips at Jongin.

“So what did Kyungsoo do for you to gather us all here?” Sehun asks as he sits beside Jongin.

Jongin frowns while tearing open the packet, looking at Sehun.

“What makes you think this is about Kyungsoo?” Jongin asks and puts the small part he torn off of the packet inside the packet itself. He’s too lazy to stand up and throw it into the trashcan.

Sehun deadpans at him and he stares back, Chanyeol looks back and forth between them.

“Because you’re only like this with Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol muses.

Sehun points a finger at Chanyeol. “ _Bingo_.”

Jongin snorts, but he smiles when he remembers what happened.

“So, Kyungsoo went to our house. He wanted to see my glasses.” Jongin shares, a shy smile blooming in his lips.

“Hmm..” Sehun hums knowingly. “Wanted to have solo time with you, huh?”

“Did he tell you that you look good?” Chanyeol teases.

“Or did he tell you that the glasses look good?” Sehun seconds.

“Or maybe, Kyungsoo told him it suits him.” Chanyeol muses.

The two then look at each other, Jongin watching them, and suddenly they burst out laughing.

“Oh my god! The ground would crack first before Kyungsoo does that!” Chanyeol guffaws and Sehun laughs too. But he notices Jongin shaking his head at them, but there’s a small smile lingering in his lips.

“Actually, he _did_.” Jongin informs shyly. He’s about to eat a piece of chip but Sehun snatches the bag of chips from him.

“What do you mean Kyungsoo did?!” Sehun whispers harshly.

“Damn..” Chanyeol whispers. He then crawls towards Jongin and Sehun, almost falling face flat on the floor. “Tell us what happened!”

Jongin hums and smiles.

“So I was wiping the dishes-“

“ _Tell us already_!” Chanyeol pesters but Sehun shushes him with a hand.

Jongin chuckles but proceeds anyways.

“I was helping Junmyeon and then he knocked on the door. I was surprised. And then he was smiling and.. He looked cute.”

“We already know that.” Chanyeol grumbles and Jongin glares at the other.

“What did he say then?” Sehun butts in. “Did he ask you out on a date?!”

“What?! No,” Jongin denies. “He told me he's hanging out with Joohyun. And only for Dorothy.” Jongin adds on when Sehun frowns at the mention of Joohyun.

“And then he told me that I looked good. That it suits me. And that he’s glad I chose this because it really suits me and that I looked like a professor.” Jongin says more.

“He’s into teachers?” Chanyeol asks dumbly.

Jongin snorts and snatches the chips back from Sehun.

“Nah. He told me there are lots of balding professors out there after telling me that.”

Sehun scoffs but there’s a playful smile in his lips.

Jongin lies down on the floor and puts the bag of chips on his stomach. Sehun scoots closer to him and Chanyeol sits near his head. He groans when Chanyeol nudges his head and frowns when he sees the other offering his thigh for him to lay his head on.

Jongin complies and puts his head comfortably on Chanyeol’s thigh. Not that plushy like Kyungsoo’s but he can tolerate.

“That's all?” Sehun asks.

Jongin looks at his friend and sighs.

“Yep. That’s all.” He confirms.

But there’s something Jongin can’t tell. He can’t even admit it to himself. Because if it turns out to be false then he prefers to just die right there and then.

He doesn’t want to assume things. Because in those years of crushing over Kyungsoo, he had assumed a lot of things. Literally a lot of things that he doesn’t want to think about of anymore.

Lots of books and readings made Jongin oversee some things. Like when Kyungsoo stares too much and whenever Kyungsoo treats him special than most of their friends, of course it is inevitable to assume that maybe, maybe Kyungsoo does like him.

He even asked Kyungsoo once if the latter has some kind of certain feelings for him. But Kyungsoo had stared at him like he’s the dumbest kid in class and told him no, that he doesn't like anyone, and anyone could bet it did hurt Jongin a little bit too much.

He was just sixteen back then. He did things that were far more embarrassing than those things he’s doing now. He won’t let himself do something such idiotic again.

So, he thinks it’s not that bad of an idea to tell his friends about it, as long as Kyungsoo won’t find out.

“I don't know..” Jongin mumbles eventually. “Maybe it’s just my imagination. But.. he looked like he had seen his crush or something..”

He then looks at Sehun and dares him to say something ridiculous, such as possibilities and all but Sehun doesn’t budge, just listening. Chanyeol starts to comb his hair, too. Which is nice. He needs that. He adjusts his glasses to his nose tip so the frame won’t poke Chanyeol’s thighs.

“He was blushing and he was flustered. I don’t really know.” He says with a wry chuckle at the end.

“Maybe, he meant it when he said you looked good. Like, really meant it..” Chanyeol mumbles. Sehun purses his lips and for once, he’s not agreeing.

Which says something.

“Don't give him false hope, you idiot.” Sehun grumbles and swats Chanyeol’s hand away from combing Jongin’s hair. Chanyeol frowns, and still continues to comb the younger's hair.

“Why are you suddenly saying that? Aren’t you the one who wants Jongin to confess to Kyungsoo? I don’t get it..” Chanyeol says with confusion laced in his words. Sehun sighs and purses his lips again.

“I know. But,” the youngest then rolls his eyes like Chanyeol is that dumb he can’t get everything easily. “Jongin’s like, in love. He’s not just having a crush and this is getting serious. You can’t just say things like that.” Sehun explains.

Chanyeol looks down at Jongin who snorts at the absurdness of this talk. He turns to his side and takes off his glasses to put it on the ground, arranging his head to lie on the former’s thigh.

“Sehun's right. And even if Sehun said something similar, nothing will change. I still think it’s better left unsaid. He doesn’t feel the same way.” He sighs.

“But would you try if there’s a chance? Like, a very small hint of a chance?” Chanyeol asks curiously.

Jongin looks at Sehun and sees him waiting for his answer too. He thinks about it. And smiles. Maybe, he does have an answer to that.

“I would.” He says, outright straight. “I _would_..” He mumbles.

He closes his eyes and remembers Kyungsoo’s point of view over liking someone. And he thinks his bestfriend has a point. And Jongin can start from there, if Kyungsoo likes him, that is.

“Are you sure there’s no hint or anything?” Sehun asks carefully.

“I’m sure,” Jongin says, absolute. “If there’s someone who knows that other than Kyungsoo, it's me.” He adds on.

Sehun looks troubled, and Chanyeol looks like he wants to protest or something. But they remain silent and Jongin’s thankful.

He sighs and blinks his eyes, rubbing away the unshed tears brimming along the rims of his eyes.

“Okay,” Sehun says after some moments. “Just know you have us.”

Jongin smiles at that.

“Dumb and dumber before hoes.” Chanyeol says like the dumbest that he is.

Sehun snorts and Jongin guffaws at that.

It’s when Jongin’s about to eat the chip he has in his hands when he remembers something.

“Anyway, Sehun. Is your mom awake? I want to thank her.” He asks.

Sehun looks at him confusedly.

“I’m not sure. We can call her, I think. But I’m not sure if she's still awake.”

“Call her?” Jongin asks, frowning.

“Yeah? Like telephone?” Sehun says, a bit more confused than moments ago.

“Why?” Jongin asks and turns up his torso to look at Sehun more. Chanyeol pushing him to sit up but Jongin doesn’t budge.

“Because she’s not here?” Sehun asks reluctantly.

Jongin sits up abruptly, chest thumping in just a second as he looks at Sehun with wide eyes.

“She didn’t come home earlier? Tonight?” He asks carefully. He can feel his chest heaving and feels heady all of a sudden.

“No. Chanyeol’s been here for _hours_.”

“Yeah. She didn’t come home. Jongin, is everything all right?”

Chanyeol haven’t finished his words when Jongin takes his glasses off from the ground and stands up suddenly, pushing Sehun away from the path and going straight to his shoes outside the door and about to put it when Sehun shrieks.

“Don’t wear that inside the house!”

Jongin's still struggling to wear the shoes, but his knees are shaking and Sehun isn’t helping so Jongin takes the shoes off of the floor.

“Where are you going?” Chanyeol asks, standing up now too and saunters towards him.

“Pray for me.” Jongin says airily, chest heaving before he sprints down the stair.

When he gets outside, he puts down his sneakers and wears them like slippers, not caring to wear them properly when his lungs and mind aren’t properly working, too.

“Jongin!”

He turns around to looks at his friends, Sehun bare foot and Chanyeol missing a slipper on his right foot.

“I need to go. _Pray for me_!” He half shouts as he runs downside at the slope of the street, waving a hand.

“Hey! Don’t leave!” Chanyeol shouts and all three of them flinches, Jongin’s a good ten meters away from the Oh's household now, when Mr. Kang shouts for them to stop shouting.

Jongin bows at the old man repeatedly, his hair flying from the harsh movement before he proceeds to sprints down the slope.

And suddenly, a smile, a very wide smile blooms in his lips. Because _maybe_ , he gets it now.

Kyungsoo gaping at him the first time he saw him wearing his glasses at the tavern. Kyungsoo trying to avoid him. Kyungsoo blushing and getting flustered in front him. Kyungsoo complimenting him bashfully. Kyungsoo giving him the sunflower.

And he remembers too, when Kyungsoo told him he likes his side view. His jaw. His ears. He remembers the talk they had at the roof of Jongin’s attic.

Jongin wants to laugh, and he does. He does while running like a mad man, chuckling to himself because _maybe_ , he _does_ have a chance.

He clenches his eyes because of the overwhelming feelings, from too much happiness and it's too much, just too much.

When he rounds a corner and sees the Bae's household in sight, he doesn’t stop even if his heart wants a rest from all the sprinting he just did.

He just stops when he sees Kyungsoo walking out of the gate, shooing Joohyun away who seems to oblige because she goes inside their house now.

This time, Jongin doesn’t have to squint. He can clearly see Kyungsoo walking now, swaying both of his arms identically and looking down at the asphalt ground.

Jongin then runs to meet Kyungsoo, who notices him just when Jongin’s a few meters away.

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo asks in surprise, eyes wide and imploring.

Jongin stops merely two meters away, and collects all the oxygen he can inhale. His chest feels tight, from too much emotion and from the run he just had now.

“Were you running?” Kyungsoo asks again, now sounding worried and Jongin stares.

He stares. That Kyungsoo noticed.

Kyungsoo stares too, but then he starts blushing and looking down at the ground again, fisting the sides of his denim shorts as Jongin continues to stare.

Jongin watches how Kyungsoo tries to avoid his stare. But Kyungsoo’s ear tips can’t hide anything.

Under the street post lights, Kyungsoo’s ears go red, vibrant and shy.

And this time, Jongin promises that the next Tuesday, everything will not be the way things used to be. He’ll do everything to be not just Kyungsoo's bestfriend.

“Kyungsoo.” He says with tone of finality. He's still chasing the air, chest heaving and it doubles when Kyungsoo looks up at him with wide eyes.

 _And he’s so pretty,_ Jongin thinks.

As Kyungsoo stares at him with lips parted and shining eyes, confused and looking like just the person Jongin loves, Jongin speaks.

“Kyungsoo,” he says softly. “Will you go out with me?”

And under the street post lights, Kyungsoo’s cheeks redden.

Under the moon, Kyungsoo’s smiles giddily even though he tries hard to hide it.

Under the stars, Jongin smiles as he hears a faint _yes_.


End file.
